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| Strand of assorted root beads |
This third passive jewelry piece in the ongoing
Roots Project is, perhaps, my favorite. Note that "passive jewelry" involves the roots doing nothing more than growing. I then harvest them and use them to make jewelry. In the upcoming collaborative jewelry series, the roots play a more active role in actually creating the piece.
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| The grasses growing hydroponically in my front windows |
These root beads began as a byproduct of earlier roots jewelry making. When I had scraps of roots left over I couldn't bear to discard them and started rolling them up into beads—which is more challenging than it sounds. As I grew fond of the beads themselves, I started to harvest root batches more intentionally to create more, and my beading technique grew more refined.
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| Lovely, lovely root beads |
What I found particularly intriguing is how distinctly different each type of root appears in bead form.
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| Root beads and root strands |
The final necklace includes an assortment of all of the types of native grass roots I have been growing.
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| Root types |
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| Artifact from a culture that never existed |
I love these! The colors, I am guessing, are natural? Live to se le the beautiful and subtle colors of native grasses.
ReplyDeleteYes, all the colors are the natural root colors. Amazingly lovely, no?
ReplyDeleteamazing. now if you put the necklace in water, will the roots continue to grow or sprout?
ReplyDeleteOh that is a very good question. I will have to try that with a root ball and report back.
ReplyDeleteThis root series is great! If you eat avocados they grow very sturdy darker brown roots pretty easily ^_^ I can't help myself from sprouting them every time I get some. Also lucky bamboo grows pretty orangey roots and is easy to keep in water.
ReplyDelete